NOTRE DAME vs. NORTH CAROLINA – Saturday, October 10 at 7:00 PM
Location: Chapel Hill, NC | Dorrance Field at Play2Dream Legacy Stadium
LIVE STATS | NOTES | WATCH ON ACCNX
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-3-3, 2-2-0) are back on the road this Saturday as they travel to Chapel Hill to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels (5-2-3, 1-1-2) at 7:00 PM on ACCNX.
The Irish trail the overall series against the Tar Heels 3-8-4 with a 2-4-1 record when playing at UNC.
TROPEANO AND CAPRETTO – THE FRESHMAN DUO
• Freshmen forwards Tristan Tropeano and Michael Capretto have combined for seven of Notre Dame’s 17 goals this season.
• Tropeano leads the Irish with four goals, while Capretto has scored three goals so far this season.
• They’ve each recorded eight points this season, scoring 16 of Notre Dame’s 46 points.
| BY THE NUMBERS | |
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51 |
Goalkeeper Blake Kelly leads the ACC with 4.64 saves per game and 51 saves so far this season . |
|
34 |
This senior class has been a part of a College Cup final appearance and has recorded 34 wins and counting over their careers at Notre Dame. |
|
25 |
NCAA Championship appearances earned by Notre Dame since 1988. Notre Dame has appeared in 21 of the last 25 tournaments. |
|
14 |
Returning players that received playing time during the 2025 season. |
|
9 |
goal scorers so far this season – Tristan Tropeano (4), Vlad Walent (3), Michael Capretto (3), Nico Barlett (2), Stevie Dunphy (1), Ian Shaul (1), Nate Zimmermann (1), Nolan Spicer (1) and Evan Lim (1) have each scored for the Irish. |
|
9 |
Seasons for McFarland Family Men’s Head Soccer Coach Chad Riley at the helm at Notre Dame, amassing a record of 85-54-29 during his tenure. He is the first coach to ever lead the Irish to two College Cups in program history. |
|
8 |
Freshmen added to the 2026 roster. The Irish welcome Eli Ackerman, Michael Capretto, Patrick Cuneo, Evan Lim, Maverick McCoy, Thaddeus Sawyer, Ethan Scala and Tristan Tropeano to the program. |
|
7 |
Assists from Nolan Spicer last season, leading the team during the 2025 campaign. |
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4.82 |
The Irish are first in the ACC with 4.82 saves per game (53 saves so far on the season). |
|
3 |
Captains on the 2025 team – senior midfielder Nolan Spicer, junior goalkeeper Blake Kelly, and senior midfielder Leo Brummell. |
|
3 |
College Cup appearances in program history, including two in the last five seasons. |
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3 |
Incoming transfers on this season’s squad as Noah Deitrich (Western Michigan), Lincoln Ulrich (Coastal Carolina) and Vlad Walent (Wake Forest) join the Fighting Irish for the 2026 season. |
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1 |
Notre Dame’s incoming freshman class is the top-ranked class in the country according to TopDrawerSoccer.com. |
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1 |
Notre Dame men’s soccer national championship, earned by way of a 2-1 win over Maryland in the final game of the 2013 NCAA College Cup in West Chester, Pennsylvania. |
#20 IRISH TAKE DOWN #1 STANFORD ON THE ROAD
• The No. 20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1-2, 2-0-0) battled to a gritty 3-1 victory at No. 1 Stanford (7-1-1, 0-1-1) on Sunday evening. The Irish advanced to a perfect 2-0 in the ACC with impressive wins at No. 17 Clemson and at No. 1 Stanford to start conference play.
• This is just Notre Dame’s third win over a top-ranked team in program history.
• This was Coach Riley’s first win over a No. 1 (he was 0-1 vs. the top team, a 2020 ACC Semifinal loss to Pitt).
2026 CAPTAINS
• McFarland Family Men’s Head Soccer Coach Chad Riley announced that senior midfielder Nolan Spicer, junior goalkeeper Blake Kelly, and senior midfielder Leo Brummell will serve as captains of the 2026 Notre Dame men’s soccer program this year.
• Spicer was a 2025 All-ACC Third Team honoree as the midfielder led the Irish in assists with seven (career high) and was tied for seventh in the ACC in total assists last season. He was also second on the team in points (11) off two goals and seven assists.
• Kelly started in all 20 matches for the Irish last season where he totaled 71 saves, allowing 25 goals for a .740 save percentage on the season. He finished the season with six clean sheets and recorded five or more saves in seven matches.
• Brummell is a senior midfielder, joining the Irish roster in the spring of 2025 as he now serves a captain in the 2026 season.
THE CHAD RILEY ERA
• McFarland Family Head Men’s Soccer Coach Chad Riley is in his eighth season in charge of the Notre Dame men’s soccer program in 2025.
• Riley became the first head coach in program history to lead the Fighting Irish to two College Cup appearances, coming during the 2021 and 2023 seasons.
• Notre Dame has captured both an ACC regular season and tournament title under his direction, both firsts in program history.